Mother (Criterion #1232) (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
November 20th, 2024 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
For lack of a better word, families are a trip. Children feel like their siblings are favored over them. Mothers feel envious of a son’s bonding with their father. Daughters resent mothers for their inherent similarities. Fathers want their sons to follow in their footsteps in exacting ways. A trip, right? In Albert Brooks’ Mother, we use an experiment to find out just how deep those “mommy issues” can get. The Criterion Collection released Mother along with Real Life, and with my own recent pickup of the film, I felt compelled to write about it! Read more below and see if you can relate to Albert Brooks’ John Henderson.
Continue reading ‘Mother (Criterion #1232) (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)’
Home invasion/stalker films will always put me on edge. The horror ones, such as Halloween that involve serial killers will always have me shouting at the screen. Thrillers like Panic Room are tense wonderful exercises in testing my blood pressure. I love these types of films. Mike Flanagan’s Hush sits somewhere in between horror and thriller and did nothing to calm my nerves while I watched it. So where does the film sit in my critical view? Find out more about the film and Shout Studios/Scream Factory’s 4-Disc collector’s edition 4K UHD Blu-ray below!
When I see or hear about action films about assassins, I feel like they’re either going to go the way of the dark such as something like John Wick or we will get a film in the style of the silliest of Guy Ritchie films. A kindred spirit film to Kill Bill perhaps? I like the subgenre, but there’s always that one or the other feeling. The Killer’s Game is the latest assassin action flick to hit cinemas and now, very quickly, 4K UHD Blu-ray. Another of Lionsgate’s not so successful films of 2024, The Killer’s Game came with no fanfare when it was released to theaters barely 2 months ago. Did the film deserve more than it got? Find out below, and don’t forget to watch out for stalking assassins!
Over my 5 years at whysoblu.com, you may have read about my love for legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Vertigo is in my Letterboxd top 4 and has a special place in my heart as one of the first films I ever watched to the point of analyzing it. Among others include the usual suspects for the incredible auteur: Rear Window, The Birds, Notorious, Rebecca, Strangers on a Train and so many others. And then there’s North By Northwest. A genre-hopping masterpiece, the film takes the viewer on an unexpectedly funny adventure that truly has kept people on their toes for 65 years. Celebrating that milestone this year and finally arriving on 4K UHD Blu-ray, read on to find out how the classic film fares on the best physical format!
It’s hard for me to imagine a cinematic world without The Terminator. The iconic cyborg tale turns 40 years old this year, and astonishingly, we are only 5 years away from the 2029 that he travelled from. I also hold The Terminator in high regard that the first film was one of the things that terrified me as a child, but also its incredible sequel, T2, is the first R-rated movie I was allowed to see, at age 5. Read more on the timeless and timely classic below. I’ll also include some related links to the Terminator universe that we’ve shared here over the years!
In 1994, The Crow was officially released following the shocking and tragic on-set shooting and death of Brandon Lee. Filming continued with doubles and the film was dedicated to Lee’s memory. The film became an iconic independent film that spawned some direct-to-video sequels and a soundtrack of Industrial Rock that pleased fans of the genre. This reboot of The Crow began its creative stages way back in 2008. I say that because we will revisit that tidbit later in our review. So read on for more about this new telling of The Crow and be on the lookout for more on the film and it’s 1994 counterpart too!
M. Night Shyamalan has attempted since his earlier films to create stories that we haven’t seen before.Even if the premise is like something we’ve seen, the film is almost always unique. This includes films that aren’t necessarily that great, and some really incredible films. Where does Trap lie in his filmography? How unique is the setup of a serial killer seeking escape in the middle of a huge concert? Find out now, and don’t forget to check out recent reviews for 
After The Sixth Sense, I believe that Signs may be M. Night Shyamalan’s biggest success to date. The creepy aliens-on-earth story struck similar emotional chords at The Sixth Sense did and gave Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix some excellent moments of acting. Now the film is 22 years old, so I wonder – Does the film have the same impact that it did in 2002? Read more about Signs in the review and in case you missed it, check out our review of The Sixth Sense 
The first film released in VistaVision and a HUGE spectacle in 1954, White Christmas is undoubtedly a staple in many film fans’ holiday viewing queue. For me, White Christmas started as the movie my mother would show us to make us nod off on Christmas Eve and now is the one I can’t wait to watch as soon as Thanksgiving ends. Now celebrating 70 years, the film has made its way to 4K UHD thanks to Paramount Home Entertainment. Read more on my love of the film below as well as the excellent 4K presentation too!
By no means am I a video game afficionado. I can honestly say the last game I played was Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on a PSII that I HAD to have. I had other games, but I only ever played this one. I wasn’t very good at the game and my attention span for gaming had never been the best. Despite my distaste for gaming, I still am easily aware of video games and Borderlands is a series of games that I know of. Don’t ask me anything about it though, but the title, I know for sure! All kidding aside, I was intrigued when Eli Roth’s film adaptation was announced. With a huge cast of recognizable talent and what seemed like a nice sized budget to make something big and fun for the spring, I was immediately ensconced when I saw the negative press and the abysmal box office returns. Read more about the film below and what happens to be a reference grade 4K Blu-ray!
I don’t know about you, but I really missed Wolverine. I missed that gruff, hard, yet lovable X-man! I was in tears when he met his fate at the end of Logan and thought that was that. When the worlds of Deadpool and Wolverine were to collide in the appropriately titled Deadpool & Wolverine, I was ready to run to the nearest theater to see the film. And then I didn’t. Now, arriving home with a lovely DOLBY VISION 4K UHD Blu-ray from Disney/Sony, I have been able to witness the chaotic wonder of the film. Read about that and more below and be sure to click whichever cover art you want at the end to get your copy today!
Nostalgia abounds when I watch movies from my childhood. The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values are a lot of fun. Macabre and dark but still somehow light and comforting, the films work so well even 30+ years after their release. The 2021 4K release of the first Addams film was wonderful and then collectors waited to see when the second film would receive its inevitable release. Now just in time for Halloween we get it! Read more about the creepy, kooky, ooky family’s second adventure below and as always, the cover art is clickable and takes you to Amazon to get your own copy!
I can’t even begin to tell you about my love for Twister. Well, scratch that – I have! When the original film was released on 4K in July, I got to share my childhood memories and marvel on the excellent A/V presentation too! You can catch up if you haven’t already with that review 
Depending on your tastes you either love or hate Eli Roth films. He’s made some that have held up well. Horror fans love Hostel. He’s also delivered a very underrated family film with The House With the Clock In Its Walls. There are some questionable movies there too. An unnecessary remake, Death Wish (I liked it but I know it’s not very good) and a recent video game adaptation, Borderlands, which for better or worse was an immediate failure. Before this, we got Thanksgiving, which was equal parts scary and funny and now celebrates it’s first year since release with a new 4K UHD Blu-ray, which comes in a great new steelbook! Fans will know all about the film, but for those new to it, read on below! 
Friends is a television show that needs no introduction, but since this is a review I am under an obligation to do so.
Despicable Me is an unstoppable, long loved franchise. Starting off in 2010, the Steve Carell led films have brought joy to fans of animation and family fare. So when the newest entry came out in prime time for moviegoers it of course brought big bucks home to Universal. So how does the newest adventure for Gru and his family, and Minion brood stack up to the rest? Find out more inside the review, and as always, click the cover art at the end to buy yourself a copy! Minions, march!
